A Cincinnati resident addressed the Senate Special Committee on Aging about a 'grandparent scam' during a hearing Wednesday.

Written by

Deirdre Shesgreen
Gannett Washington Bureau

Last December, an elderly Cincinnati man received a desperate call from someone he thought was his grandson, who told him he'd been arrested and needed bail money.

"I need your help," the young man told Mr. W, an 81-year-old who asked that his full name be withheld to protect his privacy. "I don't want mom and dad to know about this. Talk to this police officer."

The man ended up sending $7,000 after the "police officer" told him what to do. He learned later he had fallen victim to an increasingly common "grandparent" scheme that preys on older adults. ...